DSM-5 Changes: Bipolar & Related Disorders The new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) has a number of changes to bipolar disorders (also known ...
DSM-5 Changes: Anxiety Disorders & Phobias The new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) has a number of changes to anxiety and anxiety disorders, ...
The Medicalization of Grief: What We Can Learn From 19th-Century Nervousness
In a recent essay published in the New York Times, philosopher Gary Gutting1 raised concerns about DSM-5 revisions in the definition of depression. In particular, Gutting—like many others—worries that eliminating the bereavement exception in the guidelines for the diagnosis of MDD represents a dangerous move.
New Psychotherapy Billing Codes in 2013 Billing codes, or CPT codes, are used by mental health providers to submit claims to insurance companies for reimbursement.
As of January 1st, 2013 there are several new billing codes that you need to ...
The Basic Principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy Although therapy must be tailored to the individual, there are, nevertheless, certain principles that underlie cognitive behavior therapy for all ...
The Mythology of Evidence-Based Medicine Medical training is awash in catch phrases and shibboleths. Some can be useful (“When you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras”); others, perhaps overly simplistic (“If it’s not in the chart, it didn’t happen”). A current divination clinging to medical consciousness is the concept of evidence-based medicine (EBM).
The phrase is invoked in holy proclamations, to settle arguments, and to dismiss dissent. “Care Pathways,” “Practice Guidelines,” and “Best Practices” suggest preferred treatment regimens as presented in scientific studies. Although contributors insist these algorithms are only guidelines, many become reified in academic centers, court rooms, and have even been referenced in healthcare legislation proposals.
Is Major Depression “Adaptive”? Clinical Data Say No The poet Denise Levertov was no stranger to sorrow and loss. In her poem, “Stepping Westward,”1 she writes of the aging process, as both a burden and a gift. The poem begins,
What is green in me/darkens, muscadine . . .
New Guidelines For Diagnosing Alzheimer’s: Wishful Thinking…Dangerous Consequences Previously, I have been quite critical of the DSM-5 suggestion to introduce a new diagnosis--Minor Neurocognitive Disorder--on the grounds that it would create a large false positive problem and would lead to unnecessary worry and cost with no useful intervention. Even more ambitious and dangerous are the recently suggested diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer's created by a panel jointly sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association.
Pathological Lying: Symptom or Disease? Pathological lying (PL) is a controversial topic. There is, as yet, no consensus in the psychiatric community on its definition, although there is general agreement on its core elements. PL is characterized by a long history (maybe lifelong) of frequent and repeated lying for which no apparent psychological motive or external benefit can be discerned. While ordinary lies are goal-directed and are told to obtain external benefit or to avoid punishment, pathological lies often appear purposeless.
